Ɖ Gardịn vy on a wōtrcrîsis: Yṛḡî pônts t a wîdr iśu – n t s’luśnz
Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 16 July 2023
Ɖ Sǎʈ Americn cuntri z runñ drî. Bt it cn drw upn a hisṭri v sośl n p’liticl orġnîześn t pṛtct axes
Súnde, 16 Jlî 2023
Olmst tū decedz ago, Yṛḡî léd ɖ we az ɖ wrld’z frst cuntri t inśrîn ɖ rît t clīn wōtr in its consttyśn. Nǎ it z parćt n despṛt. Rezidnts cn cros ɖ reẓvwar srvñ Montevideo on ft. Ɖ capitl hz dclerd a wōtr imrjnsi, wɖ ofiślz wornñ ɖt it z a matr v dez bfr it runz drî. Fr munʈs ɖe hv bn īcñ ǎt tapwōtr s’plîz bî adñ braciś esć̣riwōtr, telñ pregnnt wimin n ppl wɖ sirịs hlʈcndiśnz nt t drinc it. Oʈoṛtiz hv cut taxz on botld wōtr n r dstribytñ it fr fri t ɖ esṭmetd wn in sevn ppl fr hūm it z un’forḍbl. Uɖrz r trnñ t welz.
Ɖ mn culprit z ɖ wrst drǎt in mor ɖn 70 yirz. Ɖo Yṛḡî z naćṛli rić in wōtr, renfōl z hîli verịbl dy t ɖ impact v La Niña n El Niño weɖrpatnz. Ɖ probḷmz r xasbetd bî globl hītñ, ẃć mcs drî yirz drîr n reni yirz wetr, az wel az incrisñ ivaṗreśnlosz. Neḅrñ Arjntīna z bset bî śorṭjz olrdi. Mni mor cuntriz arnd ɖ wrld fes similr ćaḷnjz – or sn wl.
Clịmatic factrz r onli wn part v ɖs probḷm. Rsrćrz n campenrz hv bn wornñ fr yirz ɖt ɖ growñ impact v xport-léd agriculćr n foṛstri wz unssteṇbl. Onli a smōl pṛporśn v Yṛḡî’z wōtr z yzd fr hymn cnsumśn. In 2019, rîs, wŭdpulp, soibīnz n mìt – ɖ mn xports – yzd mor ɖn 50 tîmz az mć az wnt t drincñ s’plîz. Ɖr z olso angr abt ɖ cnstrux́n v a ny Gūgl deṭsntr, ẃć critics se wl yz miłnz v lītrz v wōtr a de, ɖo ofiślz se ɖt ɖ planz hv bn rvîzd.
Xprts se ɖt 2004’z consttyśnl ćenjz léd t mejr impruvmnts in ẃt hd bn a hîrarcicl n fragmntd wōtrmanijmnt sistm. Bt intgreśn in planñ hz nt bn maćt in implimnteśn. S’xesiv guvnmnts hv feld t adiqtli invst in mntenñ n oṿhōlñ infṛstrucćr, phps in part bcz in prīvịs drǎts, ren arîvd jst az matrz wr gtñ riyli despṛt: “W ol fél aslip,” admitd José Mujica, prezidnt fṛm 2010 t 2015. Bt opziśn fṛm big biznis, az wel az cmplesnsi, hz pleid a sgnificnt rǒl in ɖ fełr t istabliś a saṭsfactri loñ-trm straṭji.
Ɖt wl hv t ćenj f ɖ cuntri z t fînd lastñ s’luśnz. Ɖr z rīzn t b opṭmistic. Ɖ 2004 consttyśnl rformz, apruvd bî mor ɖn 60% v ɖ popyleśn in a reḟrendm, olso inśrînd public manijmnt v wōtr s’plîz, n wr motvetd in larj part bî ɖ prîṿtîześn v drincñwōtr n saṇteśnsrṿsz. A cọliśn v sivl ssayti n p’liticl grūps, ɖ Naśnl Cmiśn fr ɖ Dfns v Wōtr n Lîf, îdnṭfaid profit-drivn wōtrmanijmnt n grīd az a funḍmntl ʈret t ɖ besic rîts v sitiznz. Ɖs wz a grasrūts iniṣ́tiv ɖt s’xidd in ɖ fes v indifṛns fṛm p’liticl līdrz n ɖ mīdia – n ǎtrît opziśn fṛm biznis inṭrests.
In a cuntri ɖt hz bn ranct az ɖ most deṃcratic in ɖ Americaz, sivl ssayti cd ple an isnśl rǒl in fîndñ s’luśnz agn. Ɖ importns v axes t clīn wōtr z a top prîoṛti fr ɖ public wns mor. Yṛḡî’z crîsis tde z ɖ fyćr fr mor n mor neśnz. Ɖe cd lrn a lot bî lcñ t its past.
